🟡Newsletter - Sept 2025
Montly Newsletter
Newsletter – Sept 2025
Monthly Newsletter DeiC Dataverse: The Case for a Unified National Repository
Disclaimer The views expressed here are my own in my professional capacity as a Data Steward and Research Data Manager. They do not necessarily represent the official positions of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine – reNEW or the UCPH Department of Biomedical Sciences.
Introduction
In the evolving landscape of Open Science, national infrastructure is critical in enabling reproducible, FAIR-aligned research. DeiC Dataverse is Denmark’s designated national data repository, established to support all research universities in securely storing, publishing, and preserving research data. Funded by DeiC and maintained by the University of Copenhagen IT department, it is ready to serve as a shared backbone for Danish research data management.
Yet despite being fully operational, DeiC Dataverse remains underused. Institutional hesitation and the absence of a unified governance framework have led many universities to pursue their own local repository initiatives. This duplicative strategy wastes public funds, fragments the research ecosystem, and undermines Denmark’s ability to meet international data interoperability, sustainability, and openness expectations.
Key Challenges in the Current Landscape
Resource Duplication Rather than investing in a shared infrastructure, several Danish universities are independently developing institutional repositories—duplicating development, maintenance, staff training, and long-term sustainability costs.
Governance Gridlock Despite DeiC Dataverse being ready for national-scale use, the lack of an agreed-upon governance model has stalled coordinated adoption. This inaction squanders a publicly funded resource.
Strategic Misalignment Pursuing isolated repository strategies at the institutional level directly contradicts the national vision of a harmonized, interoperable research data infrastructure. It delays Denmark’s readiness for international data exchange, citation, and preservation initiatives.
Best Practices and Solutions: Why Dataverse Works
Open Access
Assigns persistent identifiers (DOIs) to datasets, ensuring long-term access and citability.
Provides researchers with a publication-grade archive for supplementary materials and data.
Open Data
Enforces metadata standards aligned with FAIR principles.
Enhances discoverability and reuse across institutional and disciplinary boundaries.
Open Methodology
Captures rich metadata and contextual information critical for reproducibility.
Supports structured documentation of experimental methods, instruments, and workflows.
Open Infrastructure
Built on the robust and mature Dataverse platform, used by numerous national and academic data infrastructures.
Supports OAI-PMH harvesting, allowing datasets to be indexed by the Danish National Archives and connected to international repositories for broader discoverability.
Local Context: reNEW and UCPH
At reNEW Copenhagen and the UCPH Department of Biomedical Sciences, the case for adopting DeiC Dataverse is especially strong. For projects in bioimaging, bioinformatics, and the broader biomedical domain, the repository supports:
FAIR-Aligned Metadata – Enables standardized and rich descriptions of biomedical datasets.
Repository Interoperability – Allows external harvesting and indexing via OAI-PMH to trusted Danish and international services.
Reduced Administrative Burden—UCPH IT centrally manages repository support and maintenance, enabling researchers to focus on science, not infrastructure.
Transparent Publishing – Enables clear and citable links between data and research outputs.
Practical Recommendations
Stop Building Parallel Institutional Repositories – Consolidate efforts and investments around DeiC Dataverse as the national infrastructure of record.
Deposit Biomedical Datasets in the DeiC Dataverse—Ensure high-value datasets from reNEW and UCPH are preserved, citable, and openly available.
Implement Metadata Templates for Bioinformatics – Enforce consistency in recording imaging, omics, and experimental metadata.
Promote OAI-PMH Harvesting by the Danish Archives – Facilitate long-term archiving and national stewardship of research data.
Pursue Tighter Integration Between the Dataverse and OJS. Enable workflows where datasets are directly linked to published articles, strengthening transparency and reproducibility in scholarly communication.
Engage Research Leadership in National Alignment – Advocate for formal institutional adoption to unlock the full potential of the existing infrastructure.
Looking Ahead
DeiC Dataverse is not a future project but a present and publicly funded infrastructure ready for use. Continuing to invest in parallel, siloed repository systems dilute Denmark’s strategic goals and consume limited resources with little added value. Coordinated adoption of DeiC Dataverse will deliver cost savings, enhanced reproducibility, stronger compliance, and a unified data landscape.
The opportunity for reNEW, UCPH, and the broader Danish research community is clear: adopt once, support nationally, and lead internationally.
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